Knitted stocking top



June 1963 z. MONDAY 3,094,856

KNITTED STOCKING TOP Filed Dec. 8, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 XR XRv XR XR XRXR XR XR INVENTOR. Zephyr Monday ATTORNEY June 25, 1963 z MONDAY KNITTEDSTOCKING TOP 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed D60. 8, 1960 INVENTOR.

m H 0. MW r U W6A m June 25, 1963 2. MONDAY 3,

I KNITTED STOCKING TOP Filed Dec. 8, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IO H I2 l3 l4'5 I6 I7 I8 E 7 uh HMHFHFHMH MMHFHFHFHFHW IOHFHNFHFHHEHMFH w INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY "TMHFUFHNFHMH Zephyr Monday Y United States Patent 3,094,856KNITTED STOCKING TOP Zephyr Monday, Mount Airy, N.C., assignor toU-Stretch gorpgration, Mount Airy, N.C., a corporation of North aro naFiled Dec. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 74,700 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-172) Thisinvention relates to a knitted stocking top having a unique arrangementof course groups of tuck stitches and elastic yarns resulting in novelraised patterns particularly adapted to bobby socks and the like. u Theknitted stitch of the invention is characterized by each coursecomprising single tuck stitches alternating with a plural number of knitstitches, by the tuck stitches in one group of courses being offset fromthe tuck stitches in the following group of courses and by the elasticyarn being knit only into tuck stitches and only in certain courses ofeach group. There is no clearing course as such between tuck stitchgroups as the course in which one group of tuck stitches are knit otfserves as the beginning course for gathering of new tuck stitches in thefollowing group. The overall result is to produce novel raised patternshaving crochet like and twisted rib effects, depending on the particularvariation of the knit as hereafter described. Examples of two designswhich may be achieved by this invention are shown in related DesignPatents 192,572 and 192,573 issued April 10, 196 2.

The stocking top is preferably formed on a circular knitting machinehaving a sinker top and a cylindrical bank of latch needles which may bemoved to tuck, stitch and latch clearing positions by means of patternwheels associated with pattern cams located adjacent the needles andacting on needle jacks, needle butts or the like. The sinkers arepositioned by the conventional sinker ring and the elastic andnon-elastic yarns are drawn under and over the sinker nibs, respectivelyas is customary in knitting on such machines.

The stocking top is star-ted by so-called make-up courses which form nopart of the invention and which may, for example, initially compriseseveral courses of the elastic yarn laid behind every other needle andunder the nibs of the sinker during which the needles do not formstitches. The needles may then be raised and several full knit coursesmay be knitted with both the elastic and non-elastic yarns whichcompletes the make-up in preparation for the novel tuck stitch coursesequence of this invention.

i In practicing the tuck stitch course sequence of the inventionfollowing the make-up courses, there is knitted a 'first group ofcourses which are identical in that at certain predetermined walessingle tuck stitches are formed and these alternate around the coursewith a plural number of knit stitches formed at the intervening wales.Non-elastic yarn is used in each of the courses and in both the knit andtuck stitches whereas the elastic yarn is introduced by being knit onlyinto the tuck stitches and only in the first or last few courses makingup the group. .On completion of the first group of courses the firsttuck stitches are knit off in a course which starts a second group ofcourses identical to the first except that in the second group ofcourses, the tuck stitch wales are offset by a given number of waleswith respect to the tuck stitch wales in the first group. The thirdgroup of tuck stitchcourses is started by the same course in which the"second group is knit off and is a repetition of the first and secondgroups and the third groups tuck stitch wales are offset with respect tothe second group in the same manner as the second is offset with respectto the first. This repetitive sequence continues until a sulficient num-"ice ber of the consecutive groups of courses are completed to finishthe stocking top.

For an understanding of the invention, reference is made to the drawingsshowing two embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 refers to the first embodiment and is a schematic viewillustrating how the needles are raised to knit and tuck positions inthe first group of tuck stitch courses.

FIGURE 2 also refers to the first embodiment and is a schematic viewillustrating how the needles are raised to knit and tuck positions inthe second group of tuck stitch courses.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic view representing a section of a tuck stitchstocking top knitted according to the first embodiment.

FIGURE 4 is a knit diagram of the first embodiment.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary photographic view of the front of anactual unstretched stocking top knitted according to the firstembodiment.

FIGURE 6 is similar to FIGURE 5 but shows the same stocking top instretched condition as worn.

FIGURE 7 refers to the second embodiment and is a schematic viewillustrating how the needles are raised to knit and tuck positions inthe first group of tuck stitch courses.

FIGURE 8 is similar to FIGURE 7 but for the second group of tuck stitchcourses in the second embodiment.

FIGURE 9 is similar to FIGURE 7 but for the third group of tuck stitchcourses in the second embodiment.

FIGURE 10 is similar to FIGURE 7 but for the fourth group of tuck stitchcourses in the second embodiment.

FIGURE 11 is a diagrammatic view similar to FIG- URE 3 but for thesecond embodiment.

FIGURE 12 is a knit diagram similar to FIGURE 4 but for the secondembodiment.

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged fragmentary photographic view of the front ofan actual unstretched stocking top knitted according to the secondembodiment.

FIGURE 14 is similar to FIGURE 13 but shows the same stocking top instretched condition as worn.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is schematically illustrated asbeing knit on a circular knitting machine such as the Banner machinehaving radially movable sinkers 10 cooperating with a cylindrical bankof needles capable of being positioned in knit, tuck and latch clearingpositions. While a knitting machine of this type may include from lessthan a hundred to several hundred needles in the knitting circle, onlyeight such needles ninnbered 11 through 18 in the drawings are shownsince this is suificient to illustrate the nature of the inventions tuckstitch sequence which is repeated around the knitting circle and fromcourse to course in the respective groups.

For each needle there is a conventional book 20 and latch 21 which inthe usual manner are arranged to be selectively closed and opened. Theneedle lifting arrange ment includes the customary stitch and patterncams and patternwheels which'enables the needles to be positioned .ineither knit, latch clearing or tuck positions and to be In starting thetop to form what is called the make-up, the elastic yarn is fed to thesinkers in the usual manner for four turns of the cylinder during whichthe needles do not form stitches and the sinkers 10 are positioned tocause the elastic yarn to reside behind alternate needles and beneath.the sinker nibs. After laying in of the elastic yarn as described, allof the needles are raised to full knit position and four full knitcourses are made with the non-elastic yarn and with the elastic yarnbeing laid in the stitches which completes the make-up or start of thestocking top. It should be understood that the aforesaid make-upprocedure is well known in the art and that more or less make-up coursesand other forms of conventional make-up courses may be employed beforecommencing the novel tuck stitch course sequence to which the inventionis primarily directed.

' After completion of the make-up courses the tuck stitch sequence ofcourses of the invention is employed to complete the stocking top. Twoembodiments of the invention are disclosed each of which ischaracterized by the basic tuck stitch and group sequence previouslyreferred to but which present entirely different surface effects byreason of having the tuck stitch wales offset slightly differently inthe two embodiments.

FIGURES 1 through 6 illustrate the first embodiment to which thedescription is now directed. This first embodiment consists ofrepetitive four course groups. For the first four course group, theeight needles of FIGURE 1 represent the relative needle positions whichpositions are repeated with each consecutive group of eight needlesaround the needle circle and for the four courses making up the firstgroup. As shown in FIGURE 1, needles 11, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 18 areraised to full knit position and in such position wales of knit stitchesare formed whereas needles 12 and 16 are positioned in tuck position andin such position wales of tuck stitches are formed. That is, needles1'1, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 18 will form and cast off full stitches forthese four courses whereas needles 12 and 16 will gather four tuckstitches. Non-elastic yarn is used in each of the four courses. Duringhalf the courses, namely, the last two courses of the four courses beingdescribed, rubber elastic is laid in but only in front of needles 12 and16 which results in the elastic being laid in the tuck stitches andbehind the knit stitches. An alternative means of introducing theelastic would be to introduce the elastic in the first two rather thanthe last two courses. Thus, by half the courses is meant either thefirst or last half of the courses in the particular group. For the nextcourse, which is the fifth course or first course in the second fourcourse group, needles 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17 are positioned in knitposition and needles 14 and 18 are positioned in tuck position asillustrated by FIGURE 2. In this fifth course, the previously gatheredtuck stitches are knit off by needles 12 and 16 and gathering of newtuck stitches is commenced on needles 14 and 18. Full knit stitches areformed on the remaining needles. Three additional courses are knit inthis second group with needles 14 and 18 positioned in tuck position andduring knitting of the last two courses, the elastic is laid in front ofthe tucking needles 14 and 18, and behind the knitting needles 11, 12,13, 15, 16 and 17. These additional courses complete the second fourcourse group. On the next course, which is the ninth actual course inthe tuck stitch sequence but the first course in the third group ofcourses, the needles are repositioned as they were for the first groupof courses as previously indicated in reference to FIGURE 1. The secondgroup of tuck stitches are knit off and gathering of the third group oftuck stitches is commenced during this last mentioned ninth course.Thus, the tuck stitch sequence repeats itself in every third group ofcourses.

In FIGURE 3, the weave of the first embodiment is shown in diagrammaticform, in which the vertical columns represent wales, the horizontal rowsrepresent courses, the blank squares represent knit stitches, the Xmarks represent tuck stitches and the XR marks represent laying in ofthe rubber or elastic yarn in tuck stitches. As shown, the describedsequence results in the first group of four courses having single tuckstitch wales alternating with three wales of full knit stitches. In thesecond group of four courses, the wales of tuck stitches may be seen tobe formed as :in the first group but can be seen to be offset by twowales from those tuck stitch wales of the first group. That is, the tuckstitch wales of the second group lie to the side of by two wales thosetuck stitch wales of the first group. In both groups, since the elasticyarn is fed only in front of the tucking needles and only for the lasttwo of the four courses, only the tuck stitches include the elastic yarnand only in the last two courses as represented by the XR marks. Thethird group of four courses, not represented in FIGURE 3, would, aspreviously mentioned, be a repetition of the first group of fourcourses.

In FIGURE 4, the tuck stitch sequence is shown in the somewhat differentform of a weave diagram from which the novel pattern'of tuck stitchesalternating with knit stitches can be seen in the manner of interlacingof the yarns. FIGURE 4 also illustrates more exactly the placing of theelastic yarn in only the tuck stitches and in only half of the courses,the elastic yarn being indicated in dashed line.

It should be understood that neither FIGURE 3 nor FIGURE 4, both ofwhich follow conventional weave diagram practice, reveal the distortion,and thus the novel surface effect, which results from the uniquearrangement of courses, tuck stitches and elastic yarn described inreference to the first embodiment. To illustrate this distortion andsurface effect, reference is made to FIGURES 5 and 6 which are enlargedphotographs of an actual stocking top fabric in respectively, stretchedand unstretched condition and made according to the first embodiment ofthe invention. One of the unique characteristics of the inventions tuckstitch sequence is that the wales which are made up entirely of knitstitches such as wales 22, 23, 24 and 25 of FIGURE 4 actually assume inthe final weave an attractive wave like or zig zag shape whereas thosewales which include both knit and tuck stitches such as wales 26, 27, 28and 29 of FIGURE 4 form in effect, a straight line of stitches. Theoverall result is to have wave like wales alternating with straightwales and with the tuck stitch effect as background, the finished tophas somewhat of an embroidery effect. This surface effect is bestillustrated by reference to FIGURES 5 and 6.

V In summary, the tuck stitch sequence of the first em bodirnentdescribed consists of consecutive groups of courses having four coursesin each group. -In each group of courses, tuck stitch wales are formedand these tuck stitch wales alternate with three knit stitch wales. 'Inthe last two courses of each group, the elastic is introduced in frontof the tuck stitch needles and behind the remaining needles whichresults in the elastic being knit into the tuck stitches and behind theknit stitches. The tuck stitches in the second group of courses areoffset so as to reside in wales located midway between the tuck stitchwales in the first group of courses. In the third group of courses, thetuck stitches are again offset back to the wales occupied by the tuckstitches in the first group. The tuck stitch pattern thus repeats itselfin alternate groups which results in vertical alignment of tuck stitchesin alternate groups and an overall gathering and distortion producingthe surface effects best illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6 In order tocarry out the first embodiment, it can be seen that it is necessary thatthere be the same even number such as four, six or eight courses in eachgroup with a minimum of four courses in order that exactly half thenumber of courses may be fed elastic as described to produce a uniformwave effect in the knit wales. Between tuck stitch wales, there mustappear an odd number, not less than three, of full stitch wales. Thatis, in order that the tuck stitch wales can be offset in each alternategroup exactly halfway between the tuck stitch wales in the precedinggroup, there must be an odd number such as three, five or seven fullknit stitch wales between the tuck stitch wales in the preceding group.

Reverting next to the second embodiment and particularly to FIGURES 7through 14, the tuck stitch sequence can be seen to repeat like thefirst embodiment in that the pattern repeats in groups of courses.Similar to the first embodiment, there appears in each course tuckstitches alternating with a plurality of knit stitches. As with thefirst embodiment, the tuck stitches in one group of courses are offsetfrom the tuck stitches in the following group of courses, the elasticyarn is knit only into tuck stitches and only in certain courses andthere is no clearing course as such between tuck stitch groups. Thefirst and second embodiments are unlike however in the sense thatwhereas the tuck stitch wales in the first embodiment are always offsetfrom group to group by a plural odd number of wales so that the tuckstitch wales in one group will lie between the tuck stitch wales in thepreceding group, the tuck stitch wales in the second embodiment are onlyoffset by a single wale from group to group which results in an entirelydifferent effect, namely an inherent diagonal raised rib or twist effecton a tuck stitch background.

FIGURES 7 through are similar to FIGURES 1 and 2 in that they representthe relative positions of the eight representative needles 11 through 18as they are positioned for knitting four consecutive groups of coursesin the second embodiment, this particular pattern repeating itself inevery fifth group. FIGURE 11 is a diagrammatic view similar to FIGURE 3.FIGURE 12 is a Weave diagram similar to FIGURE 4 and FIGURES 13 and 14are photographic fragmentary views similar to FIGURES 5 and 6. Inreference to FIGURES 7 through 10, it should be understood as with thefirst embodiment that the description is directed primarily to the noveltuck stitch sequence courses and not to the conventional makeup courses.

In FIGURES 7 through 10, it will be seen that for the second embodimentthe tuck stitch needles shift by one Wale from group to group. Theresult of this is seen in FIGURE 11 in which the same X and XR symbolsare used and here it can be seen how the resulting tuck stitch wales ofthe second embodiment shift from wale to wale with each succeeding groupand how the rubber elastic is knit only into the tuck stitches and onlyin certain courses. In FIGURE 12, the Weave is shown as the yarns areactually interlaced together. However, it should be understood as withFIGURES 3 and 4, that the final product does not actually assume theregularity expressed in FIGURES 11 and 12. In the second embodiment aswith the first embodiment, it is distortion brought out by thearrangement of elastic yarns, knit and tuck stitches as well as thepresence of the stitches that leads to the unique surface effect.

FIGURES 13 and 14 bring out the surface effect of the second embodimentand show an actual fabric knitted according to this embodiment. FIGURE13 shows the fabric unstretched whereas FIGURE 14 shows the fabricstretched as worn. The raised diagonal rib and somewhat undulating waleeffect can be seen in reference to these figures.

In summary as to the second embodiment, the tuck stitch sequenceconsists of consecutive groups having a plural number preferably of atleast four courses in each group. In each group, tuck stitch wales areformed and these alternate with a plural number of at least two andpreferably three knit stitch wales. In half the courses of each group,the elastic yarn is introduced and in a manner so as to be knit into thetuck stitches and laid behind the knit stitches in the particularcourses involved. From group to group, the tuck stitch wales are offsetby only one wale and as in the first embodiment the beginning course ofone group acts to knit off the tuck stitches in the preceding group suchthat there is never any clearing course as such between groups or anycourse in which tuck stitches do not appear. The result is to producethe attractive raised diagonal rib effect on a tuck stitch background aspreviously referred to.

For purposes of claim terminology, the spaced tuck groups which appearin each course of both embodiments of the invention and which form thespaced tuck Wales are referred to in the claims as forming in each suchspaced wale one tuck stitch which extends throughout the courses of thegroup.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A knit stocking top having a crochet-like effect comprising arepeated continuous sequence of uniform groups of a plural number, notless than four, of courses knit of inelastic yarn, each group havinginterspersed with knit stitch wales a plurality of uniformly spacedwales in each of which spaced wales one tuck stitch extends throughoutthe courses of such group, said spaced wales being uniformly laterallyoffset at least one wale from group to group, and elastic yarn laidbehind a plurality of adjacent courses and in each such tuck stitch ineach group.

2. A knit stocking top as claimed in claim 1 in which said adjacentcourses behind which said elastic yarn is laid represent half thecourses in each group.

3. A knit stocking top as claimed in claim 1 in which said spaced walesare each separated by an odd number, not less than three, of said knitstitch wales.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES'PATENTS2,052,088 Drumheller Aug. 25, 1936 2,311,166 Fregeolle Feb. 16, 19433,013,420 Cormier Dec. 19, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 634,830 Great BritainMar. 29, 1950 263,200 Italy Mar. 8, 1929

1. A KNIT STOCKING TOP HAVING A CROCHET-LIKE EFFECT COMPRISING AREPEATED CONTINUOUS SEQUENCE OF UNIFORM GROUPS OF A PLURAL NUMBER, NOTLESS THAN FOUR, OF COURSES KNIT OF INELASTIC YARN, EACH GROUP HAVINGINTERSPERSED WITH KNIT STITCH WALES A PLURALITY OF UNIFORMLY SPACEDWALES IN EACH OF WHICH SPACED WALES ONE TUCK STITCH EXTENDS THROUGHOUTTHE COURSES OF SUCH GROUP, SAID SPACED WALES BEING UNIFORMLY LATERALLYOFFSET AT LEAST ONE WALE FROM GROUP TO GROUP, AND ELASTIC YARN LAIDBEHIND A PLURALITY